Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:36 PM

3NT Overcalls & Transfers

PITBULLS:

The benefits of a transfer system is at least two-fold. One , of course , is to protect the strong hand from the opening lead . The other and far more important in my mind is to get partners input on the length or strength of the transfer suit by super accepting or making a discouraging response.

The super acceptance process is a science in itself that a partnership should work out. A overcall of 3NT to a 3 level pre-empt or a jump to 3NT after a two level pre-empt is defined as a practical bid. It is the classic bidding “ what you think you can make” bid. It may be a strong flat hand with horrible duplication of value in their suit. The 3NT overcall may have a long suit with a singleton in a major. The 3NT bid is any hand that partner chooses not to make a takeout double due to practical reasons.

Playing this style of 3NT overcalls , responder leaves “sleeping dogs lie” as the desired action and passes with quite a variety of hands . If you do bid , it is not to improve the contract but a slam try. There is a school of thought that the only way responder is allowed to bid is by way of a transfer so the notion of “super accepting” can be involved. This is due to the 3NT bidder may range from having a singleton to AKxxx of the transfer suit.

To give more room to the super acceptance process , they re-define the transfer element to suits at least two removed from the actual suit and taking the pre-empt suit as a factor in the scheme of things. Here are the rules of this transfer game. 4♠ is not a transfer but regular Blackwood and 4NT is always quantitative. OK since the pre-empters suit is a transfer no-no , 4♣ , 4♦ & 4♥ are available for transfers to the 3 unbid suits. 4♣ is reserved to describe the transfer to the cheapest unbid major. 4♦ is a transfer to the next suit other than the cheapest unbid major. 4♥ is left to transfer into the highest unbid minor. This clever scheme has all the bases covered regardless of the pre-empt ( try it ) .

The super acceptance is based on the number of steps below the real transfer suit is available. The cheaper the response , the better the hand in support of the suit . The death response is just accepting the transfer or bypassing the transfer scheme altogether with a 4NT bid. Void or a stiff with a long suit elsewhere type of 3NT bid or no possible interest is a 4NT non acceptance bid. Special rules for a minor suit transfer as 4NT is the death response.

If the 3NT overcaller makes a positive noise to the transfer , 4NT is KCB by the transfer person. As usual with such toys there are other things to work out by the partnership with practice but the above are the general guidelines. If the opponents double or bid , all this is off of course.

3♠-3NT-P-? x KJ10xxx Axx Kxx . You do not want to play 4♥ opposite a stiff but you do not mind forcing the contract to 4NT to investigate a slam. You bid 4♣ which is a transfer to the cheapest unbid major which is easy in this example as it is hearts. Partner bids 4♦ saying she like hearts !! . 4NT is KCB and you get 5♦ which gets you into a grand slam try mode. Partners hand is AQ10x AQx Kx Axxx. Give partner another hand for her 3NT overcall KQx x KQ AQJ10xxx and she bids 4NT over your transfer request and you make +660 in that spot.

3♥-3NT-P-? Axx x QJxxxx KQx so you bid 4♥ to show the highest ranking unbid minor. Partner bids 4♠ saying she likes diamonds. You bid 4NT KCB and hear 5♦ so you bid 6♦. Partners hand is Kxx KQx AKx Axxx .